NAN-H-34
Aviation
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, Nov. 22, 2016 (NAN) Mr Isaac Balami, President, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), has called on the Federal Government to translate policy plans into action to rescue the nation’s aviation sector.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, Balami, said that government should provide an enabling environment for airlines to operate competitively and profitably.
He said that aviation was critical to the development of the country, urging the government to see it as its priority by providing the necessary infrastructure support for the industry.
According to him, aviation is expensive and cost intensive but the sector is in bad shape in Nigeria because an airline needs millions of dollar for C-Check, D-Check, insurance and other things.
“The industry itself is under fire and the government needs to wake up, be aggressive in ensuring that there is an enabling environment for local carriers.
“Now that some foreign airlines have even stopped or have reduced their frequency, I think that it would have been nice to have one or two airlines to compete on that route.
“The industry before now has been bastardised because there is no clear direction and the challenge we are having is that aviation is one industry that we don’t have maintenance facility.
“At the last stakeholders meeting, the minister was able to show us what he is doing and the effort he has made in terms of security in the airports which is very important.
“He has also assured us that the government would create an enabling environment that will help us to compete favourably and we are looking up to it because people are losing jobs.
“Local operators are frustrated and people cannot even trust any airline to book their flights now and go on time because of fuel and other challenges,’’ he said.
The NAAPE president said the scarcity and high cost of getting aviation fuel was another major challenge confronting the industry, adding that the domestic carriers pay as much as N200 per litre to get it.
He said the structure that would make airline operate profitably were not on ground in the country.
According to him, even the national carrier being canvassed by the government cannot work well under this condition; it cannot survive because the environment is too hostile.
Balami also disclosed that his union had no issue against the planned concession of four major airports in the country, adding that NAAPE supported whatever programme that would not lead to job loss.
“We should know that aviation is about creating jobs and if aviation is about job creation, the concession should not bring about job loss.
“It is obvious that government does not have the money to put in place a first class airport like Heathrow Airport and Dubai Airport, which is why we are in support of the concession arrangement.
“We are advocating that the process should be done transparently and openly,’’ he said.
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Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Morayo Omolade